Acquisition (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Acquisition is the 18^th episode (production #119) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.

Synopsis

When the Ferengi stun the Enterprise crew and try to rob the ship, it's up to Trip to work covertly to stop them.

Plot

Teaser

The Enterprise is adrift in space. A Ferengi cruiser approaches, scanning the ship. On board, the Ferengi speak to each other and smile broadly as DaiMon Ulis orders them to dock.

Act One

Ferengis Muk and Grish board the Enterprise, wearing breathing filters. The crew appear to have been gassed, falling at their posts or midway through a meal. In Engineering, the Ferengi locate the Ferengi gas machine and deactivate it. They then make their way to the Bridge before reporting to their DaiMon that all personnel have been incapacitated and no resistance is expected.

In Decon, Trip hails Phlox to ask if his decon period is over. He receives no response and investigates. Trip short circuits the door controls and leaves Decon in his underwear. Walking through the corridors, Trip finds unconscious crewmen. At the docking bay, Ulis and Krem unload trolleys for their salvage.

Trip makes his way to Sickbay to find Phlox unconscious. Before he can do anything, Muk and Grish arrive, forcing Trip to hide. They begin to loot the medical equipment. Trip leaves them to it and escapes quietly. In the corridors, Trip hides from Ulis and Krem, who wheel a torpedo to Launch Bay 2.

Act Two

The Ferengi continue to strip the Enterprise. In Engineering, one of them takes a liking to the unconscious T'Pol and drags her away. The Ferengi assemble their salvage in the Launch Bay, consisting of technology and the female crewmen. In Engineering, Trip uses the internal sensors to monitor the progress of the Ferengi. He sees Ulis carry Archer to the turbolift from his Captain's Chair.

The Ferengi chain Archer up in the cargo bay before reviving him. They demand the location of the ship's vault and are amazed that the Enterprise carries no valuable materials or currency. The Ferengi turn to leave and Archer quickly uses their greed to free himself, having noticed Trip on the next level. The Ferengi set off to find the non-existent vault themselves, leaving Krem and Archer to load the salvage on to the Ferengi ship.

While loading the ship, Archer flatters Krem in order to drive a wedge between him and DaiMon Ulis, his cousin. Archer sees Trip and finds an excuse to get rid of Krem for a minute. Trip reports that the phase pistols have all been taken and that he can't revive anyone. Archer sends him to the Launch Bay to retrieve the Ferengi hypospray.

Trip revives T'Pol. She assumes that the gas machine in Engineering was intentionally placed on the surface of the moon that Trip was mapping, in order to subdue the crew. They leave to find a way to stop the Ferengi and revive the crew, the hypospray being empty.

Act Three

In Sickbay, Ulis, Grish and Muk search for the vault. "Rule of Acquisition #23 : Nothing is more important than your health, except your money", Ulis reasons. At the same time, in a Jeffries tube, Trip affixes a magnetic lock to a bio-matter resequencing access port, making it appear to be a vault. T'Pol monitors the progress of the Ferengi from Engineering.

Grish tells Ulis that because he keeps his latinum in his quarters, Archer must keep his gold in his own quarters. Meanwhile, in the corridor behind the Situation Room, T'Pol uses a PADD to activate the sound system, producing a high, shrill, dissonant tone that distresses the Ferengi. She uses the distraction to place some of Muk's loot - scanners, in Ulis' bag, causing an argument between the Ferengi when she activates them remotely.

In Engineering, Archer continues to flatter Krem. He tries to persuade Krem to cut a deal with him; Krem would get Ulis' ship and half the gold if he was to help Archer capture the other three Ferengi. Krem is tempted when Archer says that he will throw in T'Pol too but decides against it.

In Archer's quarters, Muk and Grish try to interrogate Porthos to find the vault. Muk takes Porthos to the Launch Bay to pack him away and finds Trip, who manages to escape with Muk in pursuit. Trip hides in the Mess Hall, pretending to be unconscious. Trip knocks Muk out with one punch and takes his phaser. In the corridor, Ulis knocks the phaser out of Trip's hand with his electro-whip.

Act Four

The Ferengi, Archer and Trip meet up in the Launch Bay. Archer plays along with Trip's deception about the vault, telling him that Trip can have 15 bars for himself if they let the Ferengi take his 'wife', Hoshi. They fight briefly, which convinces the Ferengi that the vault exists.

Archer pretends to be injured, forcing Krem to load the ship on his own. Once on board, T'Pol approaches Krem, claiming to be enslaved to the humans and asking to be rescued. Krem asks T'Pol to perform oo-mox on him. As he is distracted, T'Pol nerve pinches him, rendering Krem unconscious. She takes the handcuff keys and a phase pistol before returning to Archer.

On the bottom deck, Trip leads the Ferengi in circles before returning to the false vault that he mocked-up earlier. The Ferengi fight about who enters the fault first. They struggle in and T'Pol stuns them all from her hiding place behind the hatch.

Act Five

Later, the Enterprise crew oversee the Ferengi returning their stolen goods to their rightful places. Archer finds Porthos and comforts him. On the Ferengi ship, Archer tells the Ferengi not to go within a light year of a human or Vulcan vessel ever again. He continues by telling Ulis, Muk and Grish to show Krem respect in order for Krem to consider releasing them from their shackles. The tables have now been turned on Ulis and Krem has his own ship. As they depart, the Ferengi start bargaining for their freedom.

External links

• Acquisition at Memory Alpha

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